Bears in Brutus: Be aware during outdoor activities

August 04, 2011

BRUTUS — Visitors to the Maple Ridge Golf Course in Brutus often spot wildlife there, including sandhill cranes and deer, but lately there have been a few much larger creatures seen in the vicinity that the owner says golfers should avoid.

A mother black bear and her cub have been spotted by both employees of the golf course and customers over the past few weeks, so golfers are being asked to leave the course by 8:30 p.m., at the latest, as a safety precaution.

So far, the bear sightings have occurred only in the evening and near holes six, eight and 16 — “Their stomping ground,” said golf course owner Tracey Kilby.

Kilby saw the cub about three weeks ago. It was 9 p.m. and she was mowing fairways. She said it was cute and didn’t think much at the time about the mama bear that was surely nearby.

Her boyfriend, Chris Dohm, who is superintendent for the course, saw the mother bear about a week later, while he was working on the course about 10 p.m. “She got aggressive with my boyfriend. She chased him for quite a ways,” Kilby said.

Fortunately, Dohm was driving a golf cart and was able to get away. Kilby has posted signs at the cash register and throughout the golf course warning people of the bears. She has also been discouraging customers from following stray balls into the woods.

Kilby said this is not the first time bears have made their way to the golf course. In fact, last year was the first year without any bear sightings. In 2009, the course was visited by a mother bear and two cubs that were seen scooping honey out of underground bee hives, she said.

Kilby contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and was told that the bears will move on when they’re ready and that the DNR does not typically remove them unless there is some imminent danger.